Nursing is a profession built on compassion, respect, and care — not just for our patients, but for each other. When bullying happens among nurses, it breaks down the very foundation of what nursing stands for.
You may have forgotten, but every nurse was once a beginner. We all had shaky hands, unsure voices, and moments of doubt. No one becomes strong by tearing someone else down.
Bullying isn't leadership. It isn't toughness. It's a betrayal of the oath we took to advocate, support, and heal. When you bully, you create fear instead of teamwork, silence instead of learning, and pain where there should be encouragement.
"Nurses eat their young" should never be a tradition — it should be a warning that something needs to change.
If you've bullied someone, it's not too late to reflect, apologize, and do better. Real strength is shown in kindness. True leadership lifts others up.
Be the nurse you once needed. Be the colleague who heals with words, not wounds.
Well, I have to say that after 40 years as a nurse, after getting fired and then stepping back into floor nursing (I had mostly worked in ICU before), I experienced a group that "ate their old". They threw me into the deep end so I would work my way out somehow. I lasted a week.
This post contains every buzzword. By the way, there are bullies in every profession. It's part of human nature. There are hierarchies that are part of who we are, they also exist in the animal kingdom.
There is no instant acceptance by any group. There is always an initiation period of time that one must endure. I've experienced it, for sure!
Incidentally, I've seen younger nurses form cliches and bully the older nurses. Good leadership helps, but good leaders are rare. And often those leaders are receiving pressure from on high. They're trying to secure their own futures, livelihoods, and place in our current system, which is very imperfect.
"Incidentally, I've seen younger nurses form cliches and bully the older nurses." 100% this happens more often than its discussed for sure.
JulieBoolie said:
Well, I have to say that after 40 years as a nurse, after getting fired and then stepping back into floor nursing (I had mostly worked in ICU before), I experienced a group that "ate their old". They threw me into the deep end so I would work my way out somehow. I lasted a week.
Ageism is real in nursing. I'm sorry this happened to you.
Well, I have to say that after 40 years as a nurse, after getting fired and then stepping back into floor nursing (I had mostly worked in ICU before), I experienced a group that "ate their old". They threw me into the deep end so I would work my way out somehow. I lasted a week.
Sorry. I kind of mentioned that when I said that after orientation nurses are thrown on the floor with a full assignment and have to figure it out. Other nurses are stretched to the max and struggling themselves. It's not that they are bullies but they are drowning the same as the newbie.
I've experienced this bullying behavior, it's not a few one offs where someone is frustrated and having a bad day. It's an ongoing problem that slowly degrades a department. I remember working in a unit that was a great PACU with great nurses, that then hired a few bad eggs and bad management that allowed the clique of bullies get away with their bad behavior, which brought the whole PACU down and created a bad reputation to where radiology didn't even want to come to our unit to do x rays. Plus it can negatively affect patient care. This brings the profession of nursing down. We can do much better and thrive together. We should all read the book why hospital should fly. And yes it happens in most other professions, but I would like to believe that nursing is one of the most trusted professions, so let's rise above the creepiness and support each other ans stand strong together.
I've experienced this bullying behavior, it's not a few one offs where someone is frustrated and having a bad day. It's an ongoing problem that slowly degrades a department. I remember working in a unit that was a great PACU with great nurses, that then hired a few bad eggs and bad management that allowed the clique of bullies get away with their bad behavior, which brought the whole PACU down and created a bad reputation to where radiology didn't even want to come to our unit to do x rays. Plus it can negatively affect patient care. This brings the profession of nursing down. We can do much better and thrive together. We should all read the book why hospital should fly. And yes it happens in most other professions, but I would like to believe that nursing is one of the most trusted professions, so let's rise above the creepiness and support each other ans stand strong together.
I've been there too. Years ago I was in a neuro unit where the nurses were relatively lazy and complained a lot, watched movies on portable DVD players "remember those" and put a sign on my back "kick me" and let me walk around and be laughed at. I don't think they were dangerous but doing the bare minimum I know this is not a Gen Z concept (I've seen the TikTok's) but I believe in going above and beyond and earning my raises. This was night shift. I transferred out of the there and found a less toxic environment and haven't come across such an environment since.. All of those nurses are gone and I'm still there.
I think this type of nursing does need to be talked about and management needs to encourage a better culture. This also includes me. not being part of the problem. Despite it all I stayed true to myself and have never become a bully or lazy and still go above and beyond even though I know I could drop dead and be replaced the next day (I've seen those TikTok's)
I agree that nurses should support each other and stand strong together. Has this experience with this unit of bullies been your experience everywhere you've worked and you can confidently say that nursing is a profession of bullies that eat their young?
I've been there too. Years ago I was in a neuro unit where the nurses were relatively lazy and complained a lot, watched movies on portable DVD players "remember those" and put a sign on my back "kick me" and let me walk around and be laughed at. I don't think they were dangerous but doing the bare minimum I know this is not a Gen Z concept (I've seen the TikTok's) but I believe in going above and beyond and earning my raises. This was night shift. I transferred out of the there and found a less toxic environment and haven't come across such an environment since.. All of those nurses are gone and I'm still there.
I think this type of nursing does need to be talked about and management needs to encourage a better culture. This also includes me. not being part of the problem. Despite it all I stayed true to myself and have never become a bully or lazy and still go above and beyond even though I know I could drop dead and be replaced the next day (I've seen those TikTok's)
I agree that nurses should support each other and stand strong together. Has this experience with this unit of bullies been your experience everywhere you've worked and you can confidently say that nursing is a profession of bullies that eat their young?
Your experience on the neuro unit sounds horrible. Luckily the unit I mentioned was really the only time it was a hostile environment with bullies. And earlier in my career when I worked in the OR I had a few people treat me and others poorly. Most of my jobs have had mostly great people and we had fun.
Your experience on the neuro unit sounds horrible. Luckily the unit I mentioned was really the only time it was a hostile environment with bullies. And earlier in my career when I worked in the OR I had a few people treat me and others poorly. Most of my jobs have had mostly great people and we had fun.
It's too bad those environments exist and those cultures are allowed to fester.
Good to hear you think that most nurses are good people.
Despite my experience I think the same. I currently work on a great unit. Yeah there are one or two people that are overly negative but the overall culture squashes it. We consistently get the best "customer service scores" in the hospital (that's another discussion for another day) and currently stand at 100% of respondents reporting we work well together as a team. When I round for management as a charge nurse when they are off I consistently hear the word "nice". We do our best, advocate for our staff and patients, it's stressful and the RN to Nurse ratios are high but together we try to overcome it for the patients while we strive to make change. (It's a whole other discussion when the Tik Tok people say we are part of the problem for putting up with it but that's not the case or my point, my point is we don't eat our young or have bullies as that's what we're talking about.).
Anyway thanks for listening to my rant because "Nurses eat their young" is a trigger. Talking about your experience but don't brand us all with that brush please.
It really isn't a very thoughtful or observant claim.
Nursing has every type of person; whatever way a person could possibly be described or categorized, some of those are nurses. I've come across very few actual bullies in nursing.
What I have seen far more is just that at the end of the day this is very stressful work. Right from day one we are imbued with the fact that people could get hurt or even die based on what we do or don't do. We are taught medical and nursing means of healing and all in all it culminates to the idea that nearly everything we do with a patient could have some kind of consequence.
After learning all that, we get into the workforce where we find out that employers of nurses generally don't care about (consider/value) our work in the way we were taught of its importance. We are workers to them; a sort of necessary evil. They want what they want from us and tend to use negative means to try to get it. Many of us have experienced or witnessed the way nursing staffs are threatened in various ways (write ups, termination, reporting to regulatory agencies etc) in the course of employers trying to control the workforce.
My conclusion has been that all of ^ this together creates sort of a pressure cooker situation. Is it possible to remain kind and helpful and uplifting and supportive under these conditions instead of feeling stressed out, threatened and, frankly, afraid and run ragged? Sure. But it takes a LOT of courage and a lot of strength that we often just don't have. We work in a situation where someone WILL come to complain or remind or chastise if any little box is left unchecked. It just isn't for the faint of heart, IMO.
I find the original statement to be triggering as well. It's quite a self focused statement.
It really isn't a very thoughtful or observant claim.
Nursing has every type of person; whatever way a person could possibly be described or categorized, some of those are nurses. I've come across very few actual bullies in nursing.
What I have seen far more is just that at the end of the day this is very stressful work. Right from day one we are imbued with the fact that people could get hurt or even die based on what we do or don't do. We are taught medical and nursing means of healing and all in all it culminates to the idea that nearly everything we do with a patient could have some kind of consequence.
After learning all that, we get into the workforce where we find out that employers of nurses generally don't care about (consider/value) our work in the way we were taught of its importance. We are workers to them; a sort of necessary evil. They want what they want from us and tend to use negative means to try to get it. Many of us have experienced or witnessed the way nursing staffs are threatened in various ways (write ups, termination, reporting to regulatory agencies etc) in the course of employers trying to control the workforce.
My conclusion has been that all of ^ this together creates sort of a pressure cooker situation. Is it possible to remain kind and helpful and uplifting and supportive under these conditions instead of feeling stressed out, threatened and, frankly, afraid and run ragged? Sure. But it takes a LOT of courage and a lot of strength that we often just don't have. We work in a situation where someone WILL come to complain or remind or chastise if any little box is left unchecked. It just isn't for the faint of heart, IMO.
I find the original statement to be triggering as well. It's quite a self focused statement.
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
My first job in Nursing was LDRP and the first night my co-workers sent me on scavenger hunt that took me most of the night. It wasn't a very nice thing to do but I sure did know that hospital like the back of my hand be fore the night was done. I tend to take such things in stride and just let it roll off my back like water off duck.
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
hppygr8ful said:
My first job in Nursing was LDRP and the first night my co-workers sent me on scavenger hunt that took me most of the night. It wasn't a very nice thing to do but I sure did know that hospital like the back of my hand be fore the night was done. I tend to take such things in stride and just let it roll off my back like water off duck.
Hppy
LDRP is one of those units where looking for a needed item can take too long.
JulieBoolie
19 Posts
Well, I have to say that after 40 years as a nurse, after getting fired and then stepping back into floor nursing (I had mostly worked in ICU before), I experienced a group that "ate their old". They threw me into the deep end so I would work my way out somehow. I lasted a week.